Fire at Hinesburg cheese plant could hurt farmers who supplied milk

10/21/08 6:34AM

The fire that
disabled a Hinesburg cheese plant last month could cause problems for dairy
farmers who supplied milk to the facility.

Officials say
before the Sept. 29 fire, the Saputo Cheese USA plant was receiving about a million pounds of milk a
day from 88 dairy farmers in western Vermont and New York through a contract with Agri-Mark Cabot Inc.

Farmers are hoping
the plant will be able to reopen within about two months.

Meanwhile, they
want to find new markets without significantly increasing transportation costs.

The Saputo plant
in Hinesburg makes mozzarella and other specialty and shredded cheeses. At the
time of the fire, the plant employed about 100 people.